Category Archives: Entertainment

A bright shining turkey

Posted on August 15, 2018 by David McKee

“We didn’t plan to open until March. So this is, literally, found money. We didn’t even budget for it. Wait and see what happens when we get this engine fully running.” That was the excuse made by a Resorts World … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, New York, Penn National, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on A bright shining turkey

Take that, Philippines!; NY casino out-brews rivals

Posted on August 8, 2018 by David McKee

Think you’ve got a casino, Landing International? Guess again. Ground had scarcely been broken on a $1.5 billion megaresort, which had been making headlines across the Pacific Rim, when Philippines despot Rodrigo Duterte unilaterally canceled the project. A flunky said Landing … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Dining, Election, Entertainment, Genting, Hard Rock International, Las Vegas Sands, New York, Penn National, Philippines, Rhode Island, Singapore, Technology, Tourism, Tribal | Comments Off on Take that, Philippines!; NY casino out-brews rivals

Quote of the Day

Posted on August 3, 2018 by David McKee

“I don’t remember being cheery.” — Las Vegas Strip stalwart Brad Garrett, predestined to be the voice of Eeyore in Christopher Robin. The movie opens today.

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Neanderthals target Wampanoags; Pinball Hall on the move

Posted on July 31, 2018 by David McKee

A strange, one-third-of-a-page ad appeared in the July 19 edition of The Hill. “For over 30 years,” it huffed, “the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe sought federal recognition for the specific purposes of opening a CASINO [Horrors! — Ed.] — in … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 9, 2018 by David McKee

“Yeah, and Steve Wynn was the only person doing bad things at Wynn Resorts, and he was also the only casino executive in Las Vegas harassing women, and not a single other person knew about anything he was doing except … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Harrah's, Sexual misconduct, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Vegas’ tourism slump halts; Do the Time Warp

Posted on July 4, 2018 by David McKee

Las Vegas city fathers need to stop frowning on Electronic Daisy Carnival and embrace it. EDC saved their bacon in May, stopping a prolonged slide in Vegas visitation, which bottomed out and made the slightest of upward bounces. While occupied … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Boulder Strip, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on Vegas’ tourism slump halts; Do the Time Warp

Penn outperforms in Massachusetts; Horse sense in Indiana

Posted on June 28, 2018 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming had a happy surprise for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission when the latter dropped by Plainridge Park for a look-see. The racino, which the Boston Globe long tried to paint as a failure, has just come off its … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Centaur Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Harrah's, Horseracing, Indiana, International, Japan, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Marijuana, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Singapore, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Penn outperforms in Massachusetts; Horse sense in Indiana

Atlantic City primed for openings; Tokenism at AGA

Posted on June 27, 2018 by David McKee

“Do I think the gaming market ever comes back to close to $6 billion in revenue? No. Not even close,” Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen said of Atlantic City. “If a brand like Hard Rock fails in Atlantic City, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, California, Carl Icahn, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Geoff Freeman, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, MGM Mirage, New York, Pennsylvania, Revel, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, The Strip, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | 4 Comments

A sad day

Posted on June 20, 2018 by David McKee

The casino industry has lost Felix Rappaport, CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino. The longtime industry veteran was taken from us while staying in a Foxwoods suite that he maintained while away from his family home in Las Vegas. This news … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, history, MGM Mirage, Station Casinos, The Strip | 1 Comment

Delaware bests New Jersey; New partner for Ho?

Posted on May 23, 2018 by David McKee

Chris Christie may have to eat his words about New Jersey being the first state to capitalize on the Supreme Court‘s sports-betting ruling. According to NJ Advance Media, “Delaware officials said this week they believe they have the laws and infrastructure … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, Delaware, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Philippines, Racinos, Regulation, Sports | Comments Off on Delaware bests New Jersey; New partner for Ho?

Adversity at Sands; Paging Katniss Everdeen

Posted on May 21, 2018 by David McKee

Some are blaming bad weather for two months of substantially reduced table-games winnings at Sands Bethlehem. But could casinos in the Catskills finally be having an effect? It’s hard to say, although one suspects the answer is “yes.” Sands Bethlehem tumbled … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, California, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Entertainment, Environment, Genting, Hard Rock International, history, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, New York, Pennsylvania, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Adversity at Sands; Paging Katniss Everdeen

Hard Rock and Ocean Resort: Two much?

Posted on May 11, 2018 by David McKee

“If Ocean Resort opens up and has the same difficulty as Revel did last time, do they get desperate and start throwing marketing money at the wall, and make everyone else have to do it, and margins go down, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, Economy, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, history, Resort fees, Rhode Island | 2 Comments

Culinary girds for battle; Let’s get it on

Posted on May 10, 2018 by David McKee

Collective-bargaining-agreement talks between the Culinary Union and 34 casinos must not be going well. The Culinary fired off an e-mail blast yesterday, publicizing the fact that it will hold a strike vote May 22 and, should it pass, will hit … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Current, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sexual misconduct, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

Ohio good, Maryland better; The mystery of Carrot Top

Posted on May 8, 2018 by David McKee

Last month found the State of Maryland in good health when it came to gaming revenue, up 6%. Most of this was driven — one is tempted to say “of course” — by MGM National Harbor, vaulting 15.5% for an … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Environment, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Taxes, The Strip, Transportation, West Virginia | Comments Off on Ohio good, Maryland better; The mystery of Carrot Top

Las Vegas numbers perplex; Macao shatters expectations

Posted on May 4, 2018 by David McKee

While Las Vegas, as mentioned earlier, is slogging through a 10-month visitation slump, you wouldn’t know it from March’s gaming-revenue numbers, which were 9% higher on the Las Vegas Strip ($574 million), although locals casinos took a 5% hit. Deutsche … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Elaine calls the shots; Now it’s Encore Boston Harbor

Posted on May 3, 2018 by David McKee

Wynn Resorts has been ceding to the wishes of Elaine Wynn of late but it got its back up when she demanded the removal of board member John Jay Hagenbuch. Ms. Wynn views him as a crony of her ex-husband … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colorado, Elaine Wynn, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Foxwoods, Hard Rock International, International, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Moulin Rouge, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

MGM sets Springfield date; Adelson hits pay dirt

Posted on April 26, 2018 by David McKee

Even as it’s using MGM Springfield as a catspaw to potentially land Wynn Boston Harbor, that didn’t prevent MGM Resorts International from announcing a date certain for the Springfield opening. Mark August 24 on your calendars, for that is the day … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Churchill Downs, Detroit, Dining, Donald Trump, Entertainment, history, Horseracing, International, Japan, Louisiana, Macau, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Singapore, South Korea, Sports, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on MGM sets Springfield date; Adelson hits pay dirt

Elaine Wynn, power player; Hard Rock’s big splash

Posted on April 20, 2018 by David McKee

Who thought the day would come that Elaine Wynn was the largest single shareholder in Wynn Resorts? She’s flexing her newfound muscles by demanding an all-but-clean sweep of the board of directors (we sympathize). Lest this be seen as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Atlantic City, Elaine Wynn, Election, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Massachusetts, Steve Wynn, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Elaine Wynn, power player; Hard Rock’s big splash

Looking for change in Illinois; Copperfield goes “Poof!”

Posted on April 19, 2018 by David McKee

Grand Victoria is such small potatoes in the MGM Resorts International portfolio that the Elgin riverboat’s management used to be farmed out to co-owner Hyatt Gaming (since succeeded by the Pritzker family’s RBG). The Elgin City Council is hoping that … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, California, Charity, Donald Trump, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Environment, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Slot routes, Taxes, Transportation, Tribal | Comments Off on Looking for change in Illinois; Copperfield goes “Poof!”

New era at Wynn; Resorts turns 40

Posted on April 11, 2018 by David McKee

Kudos to Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox for tacitly acknowledging that women were second-class citizens at the company. He’s created a department to promote diversity — better late than never. Wynn might say it’s not conceding anything but were there … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Sexual misconduct, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment